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As war costs skyrocket and Obama talks of leaving Afghanistan on a time-table plan like that of Iraq, I question the reasoning behind this decision… and so does General Petraeus.

Let’s all think back to the reason we first went to war in Afghanistan. Oh yeah, that’s right, terrorists hijacked four planes on United States’ soil, killing nearly three thousand Americans, most of whom were civilians.

Our response was strong and swift, but it proved not to be enough and now we are still locked in a war many people don’t think about on a day-to-day basis. It took the back seat when we invaded Iraq, but is still as important now as it was the day it started.

If We Leave

If we leave Afghanistan before the Taliban is completely ousted, the Afghan people can protect themselves from the Taliban, and without the cross-boarder support of Pakistan, then the Taliban will come back in, grow in strength, and take back control of Afghanistan. This would waste all the time, money, effort that we’ve put into this conflict, not to mention all the American men and women that gave their lives for this cause.

If the Taliban is allowed to take back control of the country, there will again be a place where Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups can freely train and prepare for attacks against the United States and our allies. This is unacceptable and will certainly lead to another attack on American soil.

A Third Option?

Recently, Afghanistan leaders said that the Taliban is ready for peace talks. While there are worries that these negotiations may not be with Taliban leadership, it poses an interesting opportunity nonetheless. If the Taliban and the Afghan government were to come to some sort of agreement that would benefit the U.S., the Afghan people, and the Taliban, it could be worth a try.

A concern here, however, is what to do about protecting the United States and her allies from terrorism. There would have to be a specific point made about this, and if it isn’t satisfactory, we need to continue with the war until we have sufficiently protected ourselves.